CHAPTER 11
“Don’t you think I know that the medicine I’m actually taking is for epilepsy and that Angelica isn’t even the main ingredient?”
She had been suffering from epilepsy since last year.
The symptoms started after she injured her head in a riding accident.
But Renée hadn’t told her family or even her closest attendants about it.
Why?
How could a mother complain of her own illness when her son was the one facing a fatal disease?
When everyone’s attention wasn’t enough for Aizen, how could she, as a mother, divert it toward herself?
And besides, she was deeply ashamed to let anyone see her body convulsing from an epileptic seizure.
She had even dismissed the family’s long-time physician and newly hired Laura as her personal doctor to ensure silence.
So when Jena happened to walk in as she was taking her pills, Renée had nearly suffered a heart attack.
She feared her secret illness might have been discovered.
The reason she had sent Jena away so abruptly was nothing but anxious overreaction.
Jena seemed to have studied pharmacology quite a bit, and that made Renée uneasy that she might recognize the medicine.
“I just hope that spy didn’t notice my condition. But from now on, you’ll need to be more careful if you don’t want your reputation as a physician to suffer.”
Renée spoke softly, but the warning struck Laura hard.
Since her employment, she had only ever received Renée’s trust and affection, so the rebuke came as a shock.
Her pride was wounded, and a sense of unease crept in.
If she wasn’t careful, that clueless spy might even surpass her one day.
Biting her lip, Laura bowed deeply to Renée.
“Yes, I’ll be careful from now on. I’ll take my leave so you can rest.”
Renée nodded lightly.
That evening, she headed to Aizen’s office.
After waiting for a while, Aizen returned from the ducal estate and was surprised to find his mother sitting on the sofa.
“Mother, what brings you here?”
“The spy keeps showing interest in our finances. Today, she came to me saying she wanted to manage the money herself.”
“She’s still paying attention to useless things, I see.”
“We made the Kreutz viscountcy appear poor to make that spy desperate—to push her to develop your medicine faster. But perhaps showing her a modest amount of wealth would have been wiser.”
They had left the money untouched because Renée didn’t want to use the allowance given by that fake daughter-in-law.
Yet, Jena’s insistence on dividing it honestly instead of using it for herself lingered like a small thorn in Renée’s mind.
‘We look foolish for ordering her to save on heating magic and feed her such miserable meals.’
Aizen, hearing her sigh, took her hand gently.
“I’ll take care of it properly, Mother. You don’t need to worry anymore.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
Renée smiled faintly.
When she noticed the exhaustion on her son’s face, she felt a pang of sympathy.
Since childhood, Aizen had been trained alongside his late brother, Michael, to be ready for succession.
After Michael’s death, he inherited the family title, burdened by the weight of filling his brother’s absence.
Knowing how much pressure still crushed him, Renée deliberately tried to lighten the atmosphere.
“At least that spy seems to be studying diligently. I heard from Laura that she even caught a mistake she made today. I was quite surprised.”
“She did? Well, I’ve heard she spends more than half her week reading late into the night.”
“It’s good that she’s not just living carelessly. I only hope she completes the cure before the current medicine loses its effect.”
“She’s not progressing that slowly, so let’s wait and see.”
Considering how much she had improved in a month, Aizen thought her progress was better than expected.
After sending his mother off, he folded his arms and sank into thought.
Just as Renée said, if showing a bit of wealth could motivate her, maybe it was worth a try.
‘Then, perhaps a small gift.’
For the wealthy Duke Kalrad, it would indeed be a very small gift.
***
For the past month, I had gradually gotten used to living as Lady Jena.
Having Greta help me bathe, servants cleaning my room, and handling all the little chores for me.
Of course, I still felt awkward.
I still used formal speech and avoided giving direct orders whenever possible.
‘But this is a bit too much, isn’t it?’
I looked at the man lazily wiping the window frame.
He was one of the house servants, and from the first day, he’d been consistently half-hearted in his work.
Yawning as if bored to death, Paul sauntered over.
“I’m done cleaning, so I’ll go now.”
“Wait a second.”
I walked over to the window he’d cleaned and ran my finger across the frame.
A layer of black dust stuck to my fingertip.
It was too much to overlook, so I sighed and said,
“You didn’t clean this properly. Could you wipe it again?”
“Sorry, but I’m busy with other work. I don’t have time to redo it.”
He said it without a hint of remorse.
Was he always like this?
I smiled faintly and decided to offer some helpful advice.
“Really? Then let me teach you a faster way to wipe. You just move your hands quickly.”
“Excuse me? What… You should just call another servant.”
“What? Come on, you’re an adult. You shouldn’t dump your work on others. The faster you move, the sooner it’s done. Let’s go, you can do it!”
“…”
Instead of feeling motivated, Paul scowled and turned his back on me.
Guess he really did have a bad personality.
Tsk, frown like that and you’ll get wrinkles.
Still, he picked up the rag and started wiping again.
As I watched from the sofa, an unexpected visitor arrived.
“My lady, are you busy?”
“My dear! I’m never busy when you’re here.”
I quickly stood and greeted Aizen warmly.
After sitting me down beside him, he handed me a long box.
“Take this.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I heard you’ve been studying pharmacology diligently, so I bought it for you.”
For me?
My heart fluttered as I opened the box.
Inside was a sapphire necklace shaped like a teardrop, about the size of a fingertip, glowing with deep blue light.
I looked up at Aizen in disbelief.
“Wow… you really bought this for me?”
“Yes. I thought it would suit you well.”
“Thank you. I’ve never received a gift like this before—it makes me so happy.”
Carefully, I took the necklace from the box.
The gem felt cold and smooth beneath my fingertips, solid yet delicate.
It looked like a fragment of the ocean’s surface captured in crystal.
“It’s so beautiful…”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! Very much.”
Aizen smiled, clearly pleased by my reaction.
As I admired the necklace, a small worry crept in.
“But isn’t a jewel like this expensive? I mean, do you have enough…”
“You mean money? What do you take me for? I can afford something like this.”
“…Really?”
The way he answered gave me déjà vu, and I slowly put the necklace back in the box.
Sensing my mood change, Aizen raised an eyebrow.
“My lady, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“…”
When I was little, my father once bought me an expensive doll I really wanted.
I jumped with joy, but knowing how tight our finances were, I’d asked anxiously, “Dad, isn’t this too expensive?”
He smiled and said, “Sweetheart, don’t you know who your dad is? I got a bonus at work because I’m doing so well—so don’t worry.”
And I believed him completely.
But before long, he collapsed from malnutrition.
He had skipped his own meals to buy me that doll.
The “bonus” was a lie—a kind one, meant to let his daughter be happy without guilt.
But after learning the truth, I carried that guilt for years.
If I hadn’t wanted the doll so badly, maybe he wouldn’t have pushed himself so far.
‘Could Aizen… be doing something like that?’
I never asked for a gemstone necklace, but the thought made me uneasy.
“My lady?”
“…Tell me honestly, dear. Did you overdo it to buy this? I truly appreciate it, but your thoughtfulness is enough for me.”
“Honestly, I didn’t overdo anything. Don’t feel burdened. Neither I nor my family are that incapable.”
I knew enough about this family’s finances to know that was a lie.
When my expression didn’t ease, Aizen sighed and admitted,
“Actually, I used the allowance you gave me. So just accept it.”
“…It was on sale, and I bargained a bit to get it cheaper.”
“Really? Oh, honey…”
Hearing that he’d used my allowance—and even haggled for a discount—melted my heart.
How could he be this adorable?
“Then, I’ll gratefully accept it.”
Aizen watched me smile again and asked,
“Is there anything you’d like next time? I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Hmm… I like desserts. Especially ones with strawberries. Oh, and cream. Oh, and cheese too. And chocolate! Sweet pudding with syrup is great too.”
“Strawberries, cream, cheese… Got it.”
He counted on his fingers as I spoke, then stood up to leave.
After he left, I looked at the necklace again, smiling warmly.
“Greta, keep this safe. It’s the first gift my husband’s ever given me. I want to treasure it.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Greta took the box and placed it carefully on the vanity.
When I turned my head, I saw Paul staring at me.
Right—time to check his cleaning.
“Paul, are you done?”
“…Yes.”
“Let’s see.”
He stepped aside reluctantly.
I ran my finger across the window frame again.
No dust this time.
See? He could do a good job when he wanted to!
“Good work. You said you were busy, right? Go ahead.”
I waved him off cheerfully, but he grumbled under his breath as he gathered his tools.
“If someone else did it, it’d have been done ages ago…”
Hmm. Saying things like that isn’t good for him.
From what I’d learned, giving orders was the lady’s right.
So disagreeing with my instruction and complaining about it… wait a minute.
That’s suspicious.
I called out before he could leave, my tone serious.
“Paul, do you… like my husband?”
Was he acting like this because he was jealous of me?
